A Semester of New Experiences Past Review
By Joanna M (HISTORY., Amherst College) - abroad from 08/23/2014 to 12/20/2014 with
AMIDEAST: Rabat - Regional Studies in French
I learned a lot about a culture I had never really experienced before and am extremely glad that I did it.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
It was not as rigorous as my home institution, but they hired high quality professors and I felt like I learned a lot in class. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Doha, the program administrator was an angel who helped with any problem brought to her. The entire administration was very helpful and open to criticism. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
They did their best to fit you with a good Moroccan family and were willing to change your family if they did not fit for whatever reason. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Integration levels depended on individual students. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I needed to visit the dentist while there and the program administration set up an appointment for me with a dentist they trusted. Everything worked as smoothly as I could have hoped for, despite the language barrier. |
| * Safety: |
I found it about as safe as most major cities in the US, I personally had no scary safety-related incidents. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
It was a very cheap country overall, although you could spend a lot of money if you wanted to. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $50 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Find the 10 Dirham lentils! It's a full meal of lentils & a loaf of bread for just over a dollar! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | A 300 level literature course |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Use it as much as possible |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | You have to make the effort to get involved with local people, especially if your host family does not have children. |
